The Edwardian Age

The Edwardian era was a time of great scientific innovation. The development of Radio had been taking place for a number of years and in December 1901 Guglielmo Marconi, an Italian inventor, announced that three dots -  the letter “S” in Morse code had been transmitted by radio from Cornwall to Newfoundland, a distance of over 2000 miles. Nine years later in 1910 the year of Edward’s death, radio played a significant role in the capture of Dr. Crippen who was wanted by British Police. Dr. Crippen was travelling on the SS Montrose from Antwerp to Canada. The captain of the ship sent a telegram to the British authorities who were able to catch a faster ship and arrest the Doctor as he arrived in Canada. [3]
Horses-drawn vehicles were still being used on the roads but motor vehicles using the internal combustion engine were becoming an increasingly common sight. Walter Arnold in 1896 was the first motorist in Britain successfully prosecuted for speeding; he was caught by a policeman on a bicycle for exceeding the 2mph speed limit in towns [2].

Edward also enjoyed motoring and shortly after his coronation the King began buying his own cars they included a Renault and a Mercedes. They were easily recognisable due to the absence of number plates and the cars rich claret colour. [1]
Across the Atlantic in America, in 1903, the Wright brothers took to the air in a powered flying machine.
There were also social changes taking place, in 1903 a new group for women’s suffrage was formed, lead by Mrs Emmeline Pankhurst, who favoured a more active and militant approach in their campaign for woman’s rights.

In 1905 two suffragettes were arrested for assaulting police they chose to go to jail instead of paying a fine. In 1906 eleven suffragettes were jailed after a rowdy demonstration at the commons.
Further demonstrations and arrests took place, and in 1918 woman over 30 were allowed to vote in an election. In 1928, the age came down to 21 and they were given the same political rights as men.
There were great shifts in the political landscape during the Edwardian era. In the general election of 1906, the Liberals won a landslide victory. The new Liberal Government had a 130 seat majority, and new welfare plans.
The same year, a 300 page book was published by the government stating that the British Empire now occupied one-fifth of the world’s land surface.
It was also a time of great literary advancement, Famous authors that worked during the Edwardian era include: Beatrix Potter, E M Forster, J M Barrie, Edith Nesbit, H G  Wells, and P G Wodehouse.
The Edwardian age is often seen as a romantic era, but there remained a huge chasm between rich and poor and it would not be long before World War I brought great social and political changes to England and the rest of Europe.